


Power of Words

by LizzieCTE



Category: Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Sherlock Holmes (Downey films)
Genre: After Sherlock: A game of shadows, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Happy Ending, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Oblivious John Watson, Oblivious Sherlock Holmes, Sad Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes & John Watson Friendship, Sherlock Holmes Needs a Hug, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson Being Idiots, Silly Sherlock Holmes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:47:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24815554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizzieCTE/pseuds/LizzieCTE
Summary: John cares for Sherlock, he really does. But sometimes he is just so hard to live with. John just wants a break but when he gets it, it is not nearly as fun as he thought it would be.
Relationships: Mary Morstan/John Watson, Sherlock Holmes & John Watson
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Power of Words

"What in the bloody hell are you doing, Sherlock?" John asked as he barged into the room. "It is four o'clock in the morning and yet you have the entire house awake!" 

John's eyes roamed over the room as he took in the mess before him. The room was in ruins, the small table and its chairs were overturned, the bed was unmade, there was paper all over the floor. There were a couple of candles lighting the room and, for some reason, there were plants all over the place, most of them were dying as Sherlock was no gardener. As for Sherlock, he was hanging the ceiling from his legs, the veins on his head were bulging, indicating that he had been there for some time. 

"Watson, fantastic timing. I am in need of some assistance." 

John took a deep breath and pressed his hands against his sides, trying to mask his frustration. It had been two months since John and Mary had found out that Sherlock was not dead and it had been two months since Watson had decided to allow Sherlock to live with him and his wife. The moment that Sherlock had moved in, chaos was ensured. If Sherlock had a case maybe it would have been less chaotic but John had been very clear with Sherlock when he had said that he was in no condition to be out and about, Sherlock may have survived the fall but he was far from unscathed. John almost regretted ordering Sherlock to rest but as a doctor, that was what he had needed to do. Even if Sherlock is only slightly better off, considering that Sherlock was always doing stupid little experiments. 

"Sherlock, what in the bloody hell are you doing!" John repeated. As much as John would have loved to be patient and understanding of Sherlock, he could not. Not when he was tired. Watson was aware that Sherlock was different and therefore he could not be treated like you treat everyone else but there is only so far his patience went. 

Sherlock smiled at John. "I was testing a theory. It is said that the longest a human can go being hung upside down before they pass out is half an hour. I didn't believe that so I have been practicing, I have been here for forty-five minutes but I am starting to get a bit faint. I need to get down."

John stared at Sherlock in disbelief. "It is four o'clock, you should be sleeping! I should be sleeping!" The last two months had been tiring and John had reached his limit. Sherlock has been disturbing everyone in the house, even the maids! John had just been married and all he wanted to do was spend time with his wife but Sherlock was making it impossible!

John didn't even bother asking how Sherlock had gotten up there, he was too tired. John used one of the many knives that Sherlock just  _ happened _ to have lying around and cut him down, not feeling the slightest bit guilty when Sherlock fell, head first, onto the floor. "You and I will be having a conversation in the morning." John said firmly, "till then you will not do any more of this nonsense! You will stay quiet and let me sleep!" 

"Watson," Sherlock began, "are you alright-"

"No!" John yelled but quickly lowered his voice again, trying to be mindful of Mary. "You have been inconsiderate and selfish ever since you got here and I won't stand for it anymore." John furiously whispered. "This is not  _ your _ home, so for god's sake, stop acting as if it is. I am letting you stay here and this is how you repay me! By making my wife and I miserable! This ends now. I don't care what stupid thing you decide to disprove because it is all meaningless and definitely not worth making me lose sleepover!"

Sherlock and John stand there silently for a second as John calms himself down and then John turns around and leaves the room, quietly closing the door behind him and not once looking back and Sherlock.

\---

Sherlock didn't join Mary and John for breakfast the next morning. That in itself isn't unusual, what is unusual is the fact that nothing strange happens, there is no yelling, no screaming, no banging, and no fire. 

That worried John a bit but he pushed his worry aside and spent his morning spending time with his wife. Soon, John forgot all about Sherlock. 

It was night by the time John remembered Sherlock, it was just after supper and Sherlock hadn’t shown up so John had decided to take some food for Sherlock but when John reached his room, Sherlock was nowhere to be found. 

_ That’s strange,  _ John thought,  _ where else could Sherlock possibly be?  _ Not once did it occur to John that Sherlock might be gone or upset as John had long forgotten the events of the previous night. 

There was no sign of Sherlock throughout the entire house, there was no mud tracks or broken vases, no burnt furniture, and no yelling. It… it was strange. John, without realising, had been enjoying this peace and quiet all day but now, now it scared him.

_ Maybe he’s out in the yard,  _ John thought as he walked down the grand staircase that didn’t look quite right without mud or some other filth covering it.

“John, sweetheart! Where are you going?” Mary called from the dining room, in her lap there was a great, thick book, one that John hadn’t seen before but that wasn’t much of a surprise. Mary was always reading. 

“I’m going off to see where Sherlock is, he isn’t in the house, that’s for sure.” John responded, not paying Mary much mind. 

John didn’t really listen as Mary told him to be back soon, as it was getting dark quickly, he was instead wondering where Sherlock would have gone off to. Sherlock had also been a fan of plants, maybe he was in the garden out back. It was the biggest garden and by far the most wild, Sherlock loved to walk through it. When Sherlock had first moved in he had spent hours at a time in that garden, just walking, or sitting, John even caught sleeping there a couple of times. Mary had found it quite amusing and John was inclined to agree. Sherlock had looked ridiculous sleeping there, propped up against one of the bushes. There had even been a bird that had started to make its nest in his lap while he slept. Sherlock did seem to have a way with animals, although John could never understand why because more often than not the animals he came across, he experimented on. 

John pushed aside a big fern leaf as he entered the garden. The plants all were in desperate need of a trim, Sherlock would no doubt throw a fit about it. John huffed and his lip curled upwards slightly. For all Sherlock’s annoying behaviors, he was truly a funny man to have around.

“Sherlock, are you in here?” John called out. There was no immediate response but after a couple of seconds, John heard a bush somewhere on his left rustle. John turned just in time to see Sherlock dive behind another bush. Judging from the grunt John heard, Sherlock’s landing must not have been a very smooth one. 

“Sherlock… What are you doing?” Sherlock didn’t reply but John didn’t let that get to him, “You missed supper, come inside and get something from the kitchen.” 

“No.”

John pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed, “Why not?” 

Sherlock peaked his head up above the bush and stared at John, “But John, you have made it very clear that you wish for me to stay in here.”

John raised his eyebrows and racked his brain, trying to remember any time in the recent past that he might have said something like that. He came up blank. “Sherlock, I have no clue what you are talking about.” 

“Last night,” Sherlock began, even though John could only see Sherlock’s head he was certain that Sherlock was fidgeting with his hands as he spoke. “You said that I bother you and I gave it some thought and realised that maybe you are right. Of course, you seem to wish that I leave your estate entirely but I feel that you would regret that as I am a very talented detective and you want one of those around so I decided to stay here, in the garden.” 

It was as if John had been punched, any normal person would have realised that John hadn’t meant what he said literally, any normal person would have realised that he was just angry but of course, Sherlock is not a normal person and John should have taken that into account. While many don’t notice, Sherlock is actually a very sensitive person. When they first met John could remember the countless times Sherlock would go off and sulk, John had thought it was just him being childish but now he realised that he had hurt Sherlock’s feelings. 

“Sherlock…” John began, “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just tired and I wanted to sleep and I was sick of you doing your experiments in the middle of the night. I don’t want you to live in the garden, Sherlock, but I do think that we should set up some rules.” 

Sherlock stared at John, as if considering his words although John didn’t know what there was to consider. “Okay, but I will still be using Gladstone.”

  
  



End file.
